Genetically-engineered moths make spider silk for flameproof pants

Monster Silk moths are genetically engineered to produce spider silk. They have been engineered with red eyes so scientists can tell them apart from conventional moths

Kraig Labs

Spider silk is widely considered a superfibre, a near magical material with potential medical and military applications. The problem is that cost-effective mass production has eluded scientists for years. Until now, it seems. A Michigan firm has brought us one step closer thanks to a genetically engineered silkworm, modified to produce spider silk.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, based in Michigan, announced today that it has found a way to double the production rate of its commercial product, called Monster Silk. The ramp-up takes the company another step closer to market, and away from the R&D stage.

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Spider silk is stronger and lighter than most other fabrics, so it could be used in things like body armour, medical sutures and, oddly, underwear. The US military is experimenting with silk underwear to protect soldiers'... privates ... from explosions, since silk doesn't melt onto skin when exposed to heat. It also resists penetration by finer particles like sand and dirt, which can keep wounds clean. "Our production system is the only commercially viable technology for producing spider silk," says Kim Thompson, Kraig's founder and CEO. Genetically engineered silkworms are "the only way to go."

Kraig Labs' spider silk is produced by inserting specific spider genes into silkworm chromosomes. Then the worms (actually moths) produce threads nearly identical to spider silk. The company can vary the silk's flexibility, strength, and toughness by moving around the DNA sequence. It's been talking about the technology since at least 2010, and is now finally moving closer to commercialisation.

Kraig's current production run is largely headed to Warwick Mills, a specialty textile manufacturer that focuses on protective applications like body armour and fireproof wearables. They are making the first Monster Silk textiles, and their research will lay the groundwork for the first commercial sales as soon as next year.

Medical and military applications are where the money is, along with the opportunity to save lives. But those markets will take years to reach fruition thanks to lengthy FDA and military approval processes. In the shorter term, Thompson is interested in making dress shirts and neck ties. The traditional silk clothing market is worth as much as $5 billion per year. "No one material can ever satisfy all textile needs," he says, and he believes spider silk will see increased usage in textile blends in the near future. "We're hoping to add one more arrow to the quiver, and we think it's a multi-billion dollar arrow."